Historic charmer with great views, the 1932 School House on Spindle Hill Farm has private ponds & the best location in Nelson County, just off hwy 151, but hidden, private, & perfect for family celebrations! 8 minutes to the Appalachian Trail and Wintergreen resort ⛷️. An easy walk to public trails and Devil’s Backbone Brewery & Bold Rock Cider. High speed fiber internet, gas fireplace, huge windows. Patio, grill, gas fire pit, dock, private forest trails, and EV Charger.
The space
An ideal and unique family retreat in the best location in Nelson County. The Schoolhouse 🏠 at Spindle Hill Farm is a historic property that sleeps 6 comfortably. With privacy between bedrooms. With a full kitchen with serious appliances, a huge, light-filled great room with the original, enormous schoolhouse windows, and three comfortable, beautifully appointed bedrooms, this is an escape like no other in the area! Part of a 50 acre family farm, you’ll have plenty of room to explore, and it’s easy to spend a memorable weekend— or week—here.
We are the fourth private owner of the building since the school ceased operation. Previous owners converted the structure into a home, and an early 2000s renovation added three bedrooms and two bathrooms to the original open floor plan. The house has a deep, pure well with delicious water, and all the electricity is provided by its solar panels in the adjacent hay field. We stock it with environmentally friendly products, including many products made here on our farm.
THE INSIDE
🪟With the original, huge. Rosenwald school-style window bank in the comfortable great room, overlooking two creek-fed ponds, the house has stunning light & views and is an amazing spot to relax and reconnect. The hardwood flooring also remains from the original construction. The house is decorated with original art and eclectic antiques.
The great room, with its views of the ponds and the Blue Ridge Mountains, includes a new, comfortable sofa, a large dining table with side-leaves that seats 8, and a TV with an Amazon Fire-stick to log-in and stream your favorite shows. Built-in bookshelves hold board games, puzzles, and books for both children and adults, including a collection of local history and nature guides.
👩🏼🍳The full kitchen is incorporated into the main room. It contains an LG Fridge, LG Induction stove with convection oven, a Bosch dishwasher, microwave, and everything you need to cook memorable meals— this is a well-stocked kitchen! Table linen, China, pottery, and more make meals well-appointed.
We include a drip machine, grinder, French Press, and Chemex for coffee, an assortment of teas, and kitchen basics. Blender, food processor, rice-maker, and tortilla press. We have pans to bake every shape of cake, casseroles galore, and plenty of baking and cooking tools. We are a family who cooks!
🛏️ The master bedroom has an organic latex queen bed, a large bathroom with a separate bath tub and shower, closet space, an antique chest of drawers, and lots of storage.
🛁 Its large attached bathroom has a separate shower and bathtub, and ample closet space.
🛏️ The pink bedroom is so lovely! With windows on two sides and a comfortable double bed, it also has a large closet (with yoga and PT supplies) and a generous desk should you need some privacy to work.
🛁 The vibrant teal hall bathroom is just next to the pink bedroom, and has a tub/shower.
🛏️ The third bedroom has a Murphy bed, a double. This beautiful room is papered in 1930s wallpaper, but please note that it has no window coverings and it stays a little cooler in the winter than the rest of the house-- it’s off the mudroom. It’s also farther away from the hall bathroom, which its occupants would use. The mattress is latex & very comfortable.
We use OEKO-tex certified European linen and organic cotton sheets in the beds, provide environmentally-conscious cleaning and bath products (including our homemade soaps), and use sustainable WGAC paper products.
THE OUTSIDE
🌅 The covered porch has a table for outdoor dining and an outside shower 🚿 after pond-swimming.
The patio has very comfortable chairs and a table that seats 6, a gas fire-pit, and a covered space for grilling into the charcoal grill, and small outside bar area.
One pond has its own dock— 🏊♂️ a lovely place to sit and relax, or jump off of and swim. Despite its size, the pond is DEEP, and we will ask you to sign a waiver before arriving, per our Insurance Company’s request. Because of the pond, children should not be left unattended outside. We have comfortable inner-tubes and balance kayaks for your use.
In addition to the pond, you are welcome to walk 🥾on the marked hiking trails my dad has built through our 50 acres, and everyone enjoys walking on the gentle mown path around the hayfield. The only houses on our road belong to our farm— despite being in the center of the county’s attractions, we are exceptionally privately located!
THINGS TO NOTE
Fiber internet lets you experience the work-from-farm dream! An Amazon Fire TV is provided, so you can log into your account to stream your subscriptions. You can also play music in Bluetooth through the surround-sound stereo.
We think this is an ideal place to work remotely, (which is why we moved our family here 12 years ago). Guests working remotely have repeated reported this is a great location for it (our internet is super fast!)
A curated collection of farm products, art, pottery, and textiles are available to purchase in our micro-store up the hill, and Elise is very happy to give you a tour of her studio up the hill.
This is a historic school house, as well as a beloved family home, so please be gentle with it! We try to be exceptional stewards, and we hope guests will take the same care with it that we do.
THINGS TO DO
It's a quick walk or drive to our county's many wineries, cideries, and breweries, so you can easily tour and sip, or bring a growler or bottle home to enjoy on the porch (our favorite way to enjoy the fruits of Nelson County!) Our Saturday morning farmer's market is wonderful. Our local grocery is small but complete, and our local wine shop will bend over backwards to package gourmet meals with just the right bottle for you to pick up. Shenandoah National Park is 25 minutes away, and the Blue Ridge Parkway, with excellent trails, is only 8 minutes from our door. (And we will provide extensive local information about All The Best Things before you check in— our locally curated guide is top shelf, and includes little-known hikes and some nearly-unknown treasures).
A guest recently told me that it was the best Google Doc she’d ever read. 😌
Guest access
The School House is on an organically farmed homestead— the main farm house is up the hill, where your hosts Elise and Preston live. The Schoolhouse has its own driveway, and private ponds. Enjoy blue herons, wild turkeys, red foxes, and songbirds off the porch in the early morning.
The School House is my parents’ part-time home, and we are delighted to be able to share it. (Our guest cottage airbnb.com/h/SpindleHill has become so popular, and we are so happy to now be able to host larger groups.)
You will some some bins in closets labeled “owners” but the drawers and closets are empty. The office and main closet will be locked. Although a beloved family home part of the year, this home is also an exceptional rental.
SPINDLE HILL FARM
If you have children, they might enjoy walking up the hill to visit our colorful hens. Our miniature goats are easily accessible from the Schoolhouse— their paddock is a bit up the hill.
PETS
We are happy to host one pet. But please leash your dog outside, and dogs must be crated if left alone in the house. We also have a farm dog and barn cats who patrol the property, so please take that into consideration.
EV CHARGING
A NEMA 14-50 plug and J1772 EV charger are available for guest use. We also use the charger (it’s connected to the farm’s solar panels) so we may be in touch to coordinate charging our EV.
WALKING & HIKING
My father has been building lovely trails through our acres of woods, and they are clearly marked. We also have an easy-to-walk mown path around our hay field with splendid mountain views.
Our neighborhood also has wonderful system of flat walking trails, following the Rockfish River and its streams, which are accessible by foot.
ART STUDIO TOURS
Elise's art studio is up the hill, and includes a small store with her current ceramics and paintings, open by request. She also hosts classes through Airbnb Experiences— check them out!
Other things to note
HEATING & COOLING
The Schoolhouse is air-conditioned and heated by mini-splits. The gas fireplace serves as an additional heat source in the winter— it heats very efficiently, and cannot be left on if the house is empty.
The master bathroom’s bathtub can take a while to heat up. We recommend using the tub in the smaller bathroom.
MOBILE COVERAGE & INTERNET
We cannot promise that your cell carrier will cover you here. Most do, though. Please be aware of your plan’s coverage. The School House does have VERY high speed fiber internet— it’s great for remote working.
If you're booking last minute, know that we do keep the calendar up-to-date, so you can trust the availability you see here.
DEVIL'S BACKBONE
Devil’s Backbone Brewery, which is an easy half-mile walk away, occasionally hosts live music events. Weekend guests may hear live music from the brewery while in our property (often from well known bands). Most guests love this, but if you want silence, you might check their event schedule online.
Conversely, if you don’t want to buy tickets, you can see some great acts from our dirt road!
IDEAL GUESTS
Our most satisfied guests seem to be couples, small groups of friends, or families. Please be aware the Schoolhouse is just that-- a converted 1932 School House. It has quirks! Those seeking suburban accommodations will perhaps be happier at the ski resort. But those seeking stylish simplicity & quiet will be very happy here— this is a reader’s cottage. It's truly a uniquely lovely space on a beloved piece of property.
PETS
We are happy to host one pet. Please leash your dog outside, and pets must be crated when left alone in the house. Please be aware that the property is not fenced, and we do have a friendly Aussie shepherd puppy who is a farm-dog in training. Part of her job is to roam, so you and your dog are likely to see her. You will also see barn cats.
WILDLIFE
We live in the mountains, and humans are the minority species here! Urban dwellers may be surprised to see some insects inside, depending on the season. We vacuum these bugs away, and a lightweight vacuum is provided for guests to do the same. We do set traps and use targeted sprays, but at certain times, especially in the spring and fall, lady bugs and stink bugs are impossible to fully eliminate, despite our best efforts.
